WDBJ 7 morning news AM cutins for 05/08/03

[7-11Bank-Robberies]

[ANCHOR=Kim]

[NEWSCAST=cutin]
[WRITER=mjo]
[TAPE#=03-10 TC1:15:32]
[GRAPHIC=None]

Authorities are investigating two more bank robberies in the Roanoke Valley.
Two Valley Bank branches were robbed yesterday, and authorities believe that they were commited by two different people.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke;]

The first was on Crystal Spring Avenue in Roanoke yesterday.
Police say a security camera snapped this man's picture just before he put a nylon stocking over his head and robbed the teller at gunpoint.
The manager of a neighboring store followed the robber to his car ... a burgundy Dodge or Chrysler.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 30:54]
[IN Q=I'd say I was]
((OTIS GILLIAM/STORE MANAGER: I'D SAY I WAS CAUTIOUS BECAUSE LATER ON I FOUND OUT HE WAS ARMED, SO I JUST KIND OF STAYED BACK AS FAR AS I COULD.))
[SUPER=01-Otis Gilliam/Store Manager;]
[RUNS=:09]
[OUT Q=far as I could.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke Co.;]

24 minutes later, a man in a black ski mask robbed the branch on Starkey Road.
Police say THIS suspect was stockier, wore a red jacket and gloves and demanded money from the teller using a note. He took off on foot.
(------------)
[ANCHOR=Kim]
[GRAPHIC=None]

These were the third and fourth bank robberies in Roanoke in just two weeks.
If you have any information on either robbery, you're asked to call police or the F-B-I.

[7-AM-Attempted-Robbery]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=cutin]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=none]
[GRAPHIC=none]

A man was unsuccessful in his attempt to rob a grocery store last night.
About 8 o-clock, a man walked into the Hollins Kroger store and gave a clerk a note demanding money.
The man left before getting any cash. Roanoke County police are trying to figure out if this attempt is connected to other robberies in the Roanoke Valley.

Investigators will review the store's surveillance tape this morning.

[7-Dinosaurs]

[ANCHOR=kim]
[NEWSCAST=cutin]
[WRITER=rle]
[TAPE#=03-13 TC38:55]
[GRAPHIC=None]
A half dozen dinosaurs in Glasgow, will soon be joined by a few of their friends.
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[VO-NAT - :25+]
[SUPER=03-Rockbridge Co./April 1;]
At this week's Town Council meeting , artist Mark Cline said the dinosaurs will stay a while longer, and they'll have some company.
Six more will be lumbering into town over the next several weeks.
The creatures were originally supposed to be in town for just a few weeks, but will now stay through the summer. The original beasts have lived in Glasgow since the beginning of April.
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[45-11Drowning]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=cutin]
[WRITER=syo]
[TAPE#=none]
[GRAPHIC=None]
Roanoke police are investigating the death of a man found in the Roanoke River. The body of the unidentified man was found yesterday near 13th Street, behind the Roanoke Sewage Treatment Plant.
An autopsy is scheduled.

[45-11City-Flags]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=cutin]
[WRITER=jda]
[TAPE#=03-11 TC57:12]
[GRAPHIC=None]

Since the terrorist attacks of September 11th, the Mill Mountain Star has burned red, white and blue. American flags have also been flying throughout downtown Roanoke. But now officials are asking if the time has come to modify the city's patriotic display.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke]

The flags line the War Memorial at Lee Plaza, and many downtown streets.
But as months have passed, some of the flags have faded and frayed.
Council members say they're committed to keeping flags on display downtown, but believe it may be time to reduce the number.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 20:46]
[IN Q=They grow into the landscape]
((RALPH SMITH/ROANOKE MAYOR: THEY GROW INTO THE LANDSCAPE AND I THINK THERE MAY BE A NEED TO HAVE THEM IN MANY PROMINENT PLACES SUCH AS STREET CORNERS, AND THEN ON THOSE SPECIAL OCCASIONS THAT WE'VE TRADITIONALLY HELD, COME OUT EN MASSE.))
[SUPER=@Smith;]
[RUNS=:14]
[OUT Q=come out en masse.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Council also considered the Mill Mountain Star. One member suggested it's time to celebrate the end of hostilities in Iraq with a ceremony, and change the star's neon glow from red, white and blue back to white.
(------------)
[ANCHOR=Kim]
[SS=None]

But some members said they're not ready to make the change yet, and council did not take action.

[45-11SVU]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=cutin]
[WRITER=rle]
[TAPE#=03-06 TC2:00:53]
[GRAPHIC=None]

One university in the region is celebrating a major milestone.
(------------)
[VO-NAT - :21]
[SUPER=03-Buena Vista;]
This week Southern Virginia University was granted full accreditation by the American Academy of Liberal Education. The accreditation is good for the next five years, when the school will have to apply again. The school's president says now it will be easier to attract qualified students, raise money, and students will be able to transfer to other schools much easier.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT - 10:45]
[IN Q=We were always asked...]
((CURTIS FAWSON/SOUTHERN VIRGINIA UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT; WE WERE ALWAYS ASKED, WHERE ARE YOU WITH YOUR ACCREDITATION, AND IT'S HUGE FOR US TO SAY WE'RE NOW FULLY ACCREDITED. SO IT MEANS A LOT TO US.))
[SUPER=01-Curtis Fawson/Southern Virginia University President;]
[RUNS=10]
[OUT Q=a lot to us.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT - :10+]
The school is expecting another record class next year. It received more than 11-hundred applications, and expects to have a total enrollment of more than 600 students.
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[8-11Bank-Robberies]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=cutin]
[WRITER=mjo]
[TAPE#=03-10 TC1:15:32]
[GRAPHIC=None]

Authorities are investigating two more bank robberies in the Roanoke Valley.
Two Valley Bank branches were robbed yesterday, and authorities believe that they were commited by two different people.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke;]

The first was on Crystal Spring Avenue in Roanoke yesterday.
Police say a security camera snapped this man's picture just before he put a nylon stocking over his head and robbed the teller at gunpoint.
The manager of a neighboring store followed the robber to his car ... a burgundy Dodge or Chrysler.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 30:54]
[IN Q=I'd say I was]
((OTIS GILLIAM/STORE MANAGER: I'D SAY I WAS CAUTIOUS BECAUSE LATER ON I FOUND OUT HE WAS ARMED, SO I JUST KIND OF STAYED BACK AS FAR AS I COULD.))
[SUPER=01-Otis Gilliam/Store Manager;]
[RUNS=:09]
[OUT Q=far as I could.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke Co.;]

24 minutes later, a man in a black ski mask robbed the branch on Starkey Road.
Police say THIS suspect was stockier, wore a red jacket and gloves and demanded money from the teller using a note. He took off on foot.
(------------)
[ANCHOR=Kim]
[GRAPHIC=None]

These were the third and fourth bank robberies in Roanoke in just two weeks.
If you have any information on either robbery, you're asked to call police or the F-B-I.

[8-AM-Attempted-Robbery]

Investigators will review the store's surveillance tape this morning.

[8-11Jack-Hanna]

[ANCHOR=Kim]
[NEWSCAST=cutin]
[WRITER=bwa]
[TAPE#=03-19 TC08:53]
[GRAPHIC=None]

T-V legend Jack Hanna brought his Animal Adventures to Roanoke.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke]
Hanna stopped by Mill Mountain Zoo yesterday for a visit as part of the zoo's fundraising efforts. Dozens of fans both young and old lined up for autographs and to get a glimpse at a few of his furry friends. Hanna also joked about his many appearances on the David Letterman Show.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT: 1:44 - 1:48]
[IN Q=It's our 18th year...]
((IT'S OUR 18TH YEAR ON THE SHOW. IT'S A DIFFERENT KIND OF SHOW YOU KNOW. WHAT CAN I SAY?)) ((ON THE DAVID LETTERMAN SHOW THERE'S AN AUDIENCE THAT MAY NOT LIKE ANIMALS SO WE TRY TO JOKE AROUND WITH DAVE AND I THINK.... EACH TIME WE'VE BEEN ON))
[SUPER=01-Jack Hanna/Animal Adventures Host; :07]
[RUNS=:16]
[OUT Q=...that we've been on.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
You can see Jack Hanna's Animal Adventures on Sunday mornings from 7 to 8 right here on Your Hometown Station.
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